Some proud University of South Carolina fans put this ad in The State, South Carolina’s largest newspaper; way to go Gamecocks, you’ve won by being middling. Congrats!!!!
[Sporting News]
Archive for May, 2009
29
May
09
Setting the Bar Awfully Low
As race organizers prepared for an F1 race in Monaco, team representatives requested that they remove an ad that was along the course because it was too distracting for the drivers. The ad, for Martini liquers, features Californian model, 29 year old Jessiqa Pace, and the ad apparently was too steamy for the drivers to handle.
Scottish former driver David Coulthard said: “The drivers have asked for the poster to be taken down because it’s distracting them.”
During trial runs, former champ Lewis Hamilton crashed just yards from the site of the billboard. The hubbub didn’t stop Jessiqa from having a good time though, she spent the weekend partying on a luxury yacht with the various F1 teams. “All the attention is overwhelming,” she said, “I find it really funny. Obviously it’s very flattering that I’m distracting the drivers so much, but I’d feel terrible if someone got hurt. They’re all very handsome men and are very popular with the girls. There is one driver who I think is a cut above the rest but I’m keeping it secret.”
I can’t imagine what was so distracting…
29
May
09
This Job May Kill Francona
I’ve always been a big fan of Terry Francona, unlike the morons who refer to him as “Francoma,” he’s by far the best manager the team has had in my lifetime, and not just because of the championships. Deftly handling the media hordes of Boston, the oversized personalities and egos on the team and in the process putting together 5 successful seasons and 4 playoff berths is an incredible job. During this past offseason Francona was supposed to undergo surgery to help alleviate some constant pain he’d been enduring, there were times he said when half his body would go completely numb. Suffering from a number of different ailments, Francona is not in great condition, suffering blood clots, chest tightening and infections in the last few years and so it was with great trepidation I saw that after yesterday’s game against the Twins and Francona’s ejection, that he was visited by EMTs in the clubhouse.
According to the Boston Herald:
A parade of EMTs – one wielding a stretcher and other emergency equipment – entered the clubhouse as players and coaches readied to leave. Two members of the team’s medical staff stood outside the sealed-off trainer’s room and directed players elsewhere as the EMTs examined Francona.
“I’m fine,” Francona said later as he walked to the team bus, “I just got a little worked up and my blood pressure shot up. But I’m fine. They take good care of me.”
I hope so Tito, stay well. You may well be the glue that keeps this team from cracking apart.
29
May
09
And It’s the Luv Guv By Inches
Marylou Whitney, a octogenarian heiress and horse racing enthusiast and her husband John Hendrickson own two horses named after former New York Governor Spitzer’s quick fail from grace after revelations about prostitutes came out. One, named “The Ninth Client” after his name in FBI files and the other is named after the NY Post’s excellent headline after the scandal broke, “The Luv Guv.” Formerly named “Town Prowler,” after the precipitous decline of Mr. Spitzer, Whitney and Hendrickson opted to change the 2-year old thoroughbred’s name. Since then, Luv Guv has struggled, taking 10 tries before winning his first race, but this next weekend he’ll be vying for the longest leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes.
If Luv Guv were to win, theoretically it could lead to a hilarious awkward moment where current Governor, David Paterson — a extracurricular paramour in his own right — would be presenting the trophy to Whitney and Hendrickson.
The owners insist that the changing of the name was not solely because of Spitzer. “There’s been a lot of love govs,” Mr. Hendrickson said, mentioning, among others, James E. McGreevey, who resigned as governor of New Jersey in 2004 after disclosing an affair with a man.
“We’re not trying to poke fun at him,” Mr. Hendrickson said. “We are Republicans, but we did support him. I think we each gave $10,000, and we like him. We thought this was a fun name.”
Fortunately, the NY Times managed to get a comment from horse racing enthusiast, former NY Senate Majority Leader, Skidmore College alum and sometime-facist, Joe Bruno who was a big rival of Spitzer’s. “I thought it was hilarious. The situation with the governor was pretty tragic and reprehensible, and I think for them to kind of weigh in to lighten the mood of all that was going on around such a real tragedy, I think was great.”
The Times contacted Spitzer for a comment but he declined.
After the jump, stay tuned for another neat connection between to owners and Governor Paterson that goes way back in horse racing history.
[NY Times]
28
May
09
Rookies Know How to Celebrate
Assembling this year’s rookie class for their first Upper Deck photoshoots, the company opted to make the event a bit more interesting by creating a Touchdown Celebration contest where the best dance would win an autographed Michael Jordan jersey. First off, Michael Jordan? I forget his epic football career. What, were they all out of Ron Mexico jerseys?
Anyways, since almost all of these dance celebrations are illegal, we’ll never get to see them in the N0-Fun-League, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t entertaining. I for one like Aaron Curry’s and I always appreciate a good worm…
28
May
09
No Puck For You
Darren Helm ultimately scored the winning goal in overtime to help the Detroit Red Wings return to the Stanley Cup finals against their opponent last year, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Before that, he singlehandedly made the Blackhawks look silly by skating around and through their defense holding onto the puck for way too long in their zone, it’s a pretty impressive game of keep away.
The Mets have suffered a rash of injuries recently, seeing some of their best players like Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado forced onto the DL; it looks like the loss of Reyes is really going to hurt the Mets, since they apparently have decided to forgo the shortstop position and realign their defense. It’s radical but it just might work…
While everyone in America was getting drunk at barbecues on Monday, across the ocean near Gloucester, England, throngs of spectators and participants got together for what is now a 200+ year tradition, the Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake. Thousands of spectators come to watch the 5 downhill and 4 uphill races with the winners taking home the greatest prize of all, the 8 pound Double Gloucester cheese wheel they were chasing. The Big Picture, as ever, has some incredible hi-res shots that you should check out, in the meantime, let me whet your appetite here.
The usual injuries from this event are concussions and broken bones, but really, when you consider that you get to take home 8 pounds of cheese, I think it’s well worth it. However, I am slightly disappointed in the size of the cheese wheel, they should have varying sizes, I want to see people try and take down like a 8 foot diameter cheese wheel. As loyal reader The Sister noted in passing this link along to me; these are real elite athletes (even if they are British.)
The goal in the race is to conceivably catch the cheese wheel, but being that it gets a one second head-start and can reach speeds up to 70 mph, the winner is usually the first person across the line at the bottom. Interestingly, during WWII, due to rationing, the race was held using a wooden wheel with a small piece of cheese inside it instead.
After the jump a heap more of the awesome photographs. Enjoy!
Continue reading ‘What Do You Call Cheese That Isn’t Yours?’
27
May
09
The 2009 All Star Game
Here’s a question for you out there, currently, Manny Ramirez is the 4th highest vote getter for outfielders for this season’s All Star game, despite him being out for 50 games for testing positive for steroids. In the AL, Alex Rodriguez is likely to be the leading vote getter at his position. Both players have been linked directly with steroids in the last few months — although supposedly A-Rod’s trangressions were all in the past — but are now in a position to be feted and honored by the sport and the fans. Is this right?
The NFL instituted the “Shawn Merriman Rule” which makes a player who tests positive for PEDs ineligible from the Pro Bowl, should MLB consider something similar?
I’m interested in your opinions out there. Mine is that if you test positive in a season you should be ineligible for any All Star games or post season awards for that season. This is not a directly anti-Manny backlash, but he’s just the first player where this situation has directly come up; there wasn’t a lot of worry about JC Romero getting anywhere near the All Star game before. What do YOU think?
27
May
09
Shaq Says “Bring it on”
The Big Aristotle, Shaquille O’Neal has been a voracious user of Twitter, becoming in the process one of the most popular people on the useless service. Always one up for some competition, Shaq sent this message to Lance Armstrong, “I challenge u to a race any time any place, it’s time someone challenged u.”
Lance replied back “Alright Shaq, you’re on. To quote the great Ricky Bobby, ‘Bring it on trying to bring me down.'”
I only see Shaq winning if he gets to ride his dope motorcycle.
Ever one to seize an opportunity, Shaq also challenged Danica Patrick to a race, somehow though methinks he wouldn’t fit so much in an F1 car…
26
May
09
Some Thoughts on David Ortiz
Loyal reader Youppi rightfully pointed out to me that for all my (in my opinion rightful) hammering on the Mets, and in particular Carlos Delgado who I insisted was D-U-N done at this time last season that I have been giving the Red Sox and one David Ortiz a free ride.
Very fair. After the jump, here are some of my disjointed thoughts.
I’m not sure how I feel about the Cubs’ “tradition” of bringing in celebrities and such to lead the crowd in “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” no one else is Harry Caray and almost always does it result in awfulness. Then again, it leads to plenty of easy blog posts so…
Here’s Mr. T taking the reins and leading the crowd.
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